Levenshulme High School pupils celebrating their results
Pupils at schools across Manchester are amongst thousands of 16-year-olds across the country who have picked up their GCSE results today.
This year's cohort of pupils who are collecting their results today have had a far from normal route through their secondary school years, with the global pandemic forcing the majority of them to spend months being taught from home during their first and second years at high school, swapping the classroom for their kitchen table and getting to grips with online learning, whilst the world grappled with bringing Covid under control.
Councillor Julie Reid, Executive Member for Early Years, Children and Young People, said: "Every young person who has picked up their results today should feel immensely proud of themselves. Their time in high school really didn't get off to the best of starts with Covid and online teaching - and if they take a minute to think back about what they've all been through over last five years during what is a really hard time anyway in their lives, they will realise just how brilliantly they have done and how much their hard work has paid off.
"Of course, it's also important that we remember results day is not just about the top grades. There are plenty of students at schools across the country who didn't get a string of A* grades, but who did fantastically well for them, far exceeding their own expectations. Big congratulations should go to each and every one of them.
"And finally, I want to say a big thank you also to all the brilliant and dedicated staff working in our schools who day in and day out go above and beyond to support our students. You are amazing, thank you."
Manchester Academy pupils picking up their exam results
Over at Manchester Academy in Moss Side, Principal James Eldon also believes that this year's pupils have done extraordinarily well in their exams this year after everything they were confronted with during their time in high school and that their achievements shouldn't be underestimated.
He said: "This is a year group of young people whose early years of high school were blown apart by a global pandemic, but they came back, they worked hard, got stuck in and have done fantastically well. They should be very proud of themselves, and everyone in Manchester and beyond should be celebrating this amazing cohort of children."
GCSEs aren't just for pupils in mainstream schools and are also offered by some special schools, including Meade Hill High School in North Manchester, with pupils often having significant personal barriers to overcome in addition to studying for their exams - making their achievements even more meaningful for them.
Anna Mullan, Headteacher at Meade Hill School, said: "Our pupils have worked so hard and overcome significant barriers to earn these exceptional results today. We could not be prouder of both their academic and personal achievements."
Results day at Meade Hill School
Students at the school who have far exceeded all expectations of them include 16-year-old Jack Turner, who when he first started at Meade Hill School five years ago in Year 7, struggled to write even his own name and despite this has today learnt that he has passed an incredible five GCSEs and may yet be able to add a sixth to his fantastic haul of results, pending a re-mark on his English Language GCSE which is just 4 marks off a pass.
His mum, Kim Perrelli, is over the moon at her son's results.
She said: "The biggest thing for me is that when he first started at the school in Year 7, he wasn't even able to write his own name on paper, even though it's only a 4-letter word.
"To come out now, five years later, with five GCSEs and a possible sixth, is literally amazing - we're ecstatic! And this comes after being told for starters years ago that he may not ever be able to take GCSEs as they weren't sure if he had the mental capacity to do so. Well, all I can say is thanks to all the staff at Meade Hill who have supported him throughout his time in school and have never, not once given up on him, he hasn't just sat his GCSEs - he has absolutely smashed them!
"We are so proud of him and will be forever grateful to the school for everything they've done for Jack."
Jack himself is also really happy with his GCSE results, which include a good pass at Grade 5 in Maths, as well as passes in Science, IT, Art and Home Cooking, in addition to the planned re-mark of his GCSE English language paper that is currently only a couple of marks off a pass. As well as his GCSE successes he also been successful in gaining a number of entry level vocational certificates in tiling, bricklaying, plastering and introduction to construction and now hopes to go on to do a commercial electrical installation apprenticeship at college.
Jack said: "I'm really happy with my results and want to say a massive thank you for all their help to all my teachers at school and especially to my support worker who has been with me all the way through school from when I first started and has been brilliant with me."
Over at CHS South, the school was celebrating only its second-ever GCSE results year after only opening to students six years ago.
Results day at CHS South
Headteacher David Prophet, said: "This was our second set of exam results as a school and we're delighted that despite the challenges presented to our wonderful students over the past few years, they've outstripped national expectations in many subjects. To see them succeed in so many exceptional ways, from students with strings of top grades, to students making progress well beyond their own initial expectations is testament their hard work and the support of the whole school community and our ambition we have for them."
Results day at Co-op Academy Manchester
Whilst all the indications are that the majority of young people in the city who picked up their results today will have achieved what they needed to pursue their planned next steps, help and support is there for all those who didn't achieve what they were hoping for.
Students in need of help and support after getting their exam results today should speak in the first instance to their school or college, but there are many other sources of help also available including from The Education Hub https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/
Mental health advice and support for young people who need help with how they are feeling after picking up their results is available from organisations including:
Young Minds https://www.youngminds.org.uk/
Childline https://www.childline.org.uk/
Kooth https://www.kooth.com/
For more pictures of results day in Manchester head here